Child&#39;s overall garment



Dec. 8, 1953 M. MILES 2,661,473

CHILD'S OVERALL GARMENT Filed Jan. 8, 1951 IN V EN TOR.

Maegzyn L. Mi ZeS Patented Dec. 8 1953 CHILDS OVERALL GARMENT Maebyn L. Miles, Kent, Wash., assignor to Nancy Garment Company, Kent, Wash., a copartnership Application January 8, 1951, Serial No. 204,880

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a two-piece childs overall garment having separable trouser and halter portions 50 the entire trouser portion can be detached, independently, while a diaper is changed or while a child goes to the toilet. I One object of my invention is to provide a child's overall garment with separable trouser and halter portions which are detachably joined only along the front thereof whereby a young child may remove the trouser portion by itself with a minimum of effort and without being required to reach back to uniasten snaps or other fastening devices which conventionally are located out of the childs visual range.

From the view point of the mother, two consecutive stages in the early development of a child may be defined, respectively, as the creeping and toddling stages. During the course or the former stage, the infant child is unable to walk erect and has to have its diaper changed. Thus, one of the mothers most tiresome tasks becomes that of changing diapers. Later, as the child matures somewhat and begins to walk erect, it enters the toddling stage. During this period, many parents begin to toilet train their children. Accordingly, there is added'to the less frequent diaper change task that of instructing the child concerning the manner of disrobing one's self and the proper time and place to so do. My invention is concerned with a garment which can be worn during both of these stages of child development to aid both diaper changing and this training program.

Returning to the discussion of the creeping stage, it is conventional for mothers to clothe their infants in overall type garments which button along the entire length of the inside of each trouser leg. Such a garment expedites the diaper change operation by allowing the entire crotch of the garment to be opened up and peeled back for ready access to the diapered portion of the body. This garment is not, however, without certain inherent disadvantages. Experience has shown that infants thus clothed often creep about with the buttoned opening gaping. At any rate, many times, I have observed infants clad in gaping overalls of this type and, to say the least, such exposure and gaping is unsightly and unsanitary. Accordingly, I have directed my inventive efforts towardthe provision of an overall type of infant's garment which will not gape open at the crotch, yet which will permit expeditious removal and a quick diaper-changing operation.

More specifically, one of the objects of my invention i-s'to provide a two-piece separable overall garment having the parts thereof secured only along the front margins whereby the lower or trouser portion may be unfastened completely while the infant wearer lies on its back.

Progressing now to the toddling stage, overall type garments are also popular during this period of the childs development. The conventional toddlers overall, however, does not button along the crotch but is rather a miniature version of a workingmans overall. Here again, however, I have found certain disadvantages to be inherent in the garment construction. The primary source of trouble stems from the mothers attempt to toilet train the child. This requires the child to disrobe and dress itself several times a day. Obviously, the more simple the garment construction, the more quickly the child can learn to take it off and'put it back on. The miniature workingmans overall requires that the child learn to unfasten and fasten the conventional crossed shoulder straps. With my inventive garment, however, the act of removal has been materially simplified by placing all the securing devices (I prefer to employ snap fa se teners) at the front of the waist where they are within easy visual range of the child. Thus, no backward or upward reach is required and the child can see the securing devices. The training program is greatly enhanced by clothing the child in such a garment.

A; secondary, but none the less important, source of trouble stems from the fact that the long shoulder straps found on most overalls tend to fall or drop into the toilet bowl when a child is disrobing by itself. This requires extra garment changes when they should normally not'be required. In my garment, however, drooping shoulder straps are eliminated entirely. Thisis for the reason that I make the overall garment in two separable portions and the halter portion, to which the shoulder straps are secured, need not be removed while a child goes-to the toilet.

In accord therewith, a further object of my invention is to provide the halter portion of a 3 two-piece childs overall garment with shoulder straps which are securely held in position by snap fasteners and which need not be loosened or unsnapped when a child goes to the toilet.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention are hereinafter described with refer ence to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the trouser and halter portions of my overall garment as they are detachably secured at the front of the waist only while worn by a child; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the halter portion per so more particularly indicating the manner in which the shoulder straps are detachably engaged with opposite corners of the bib portion of my garment.

The preferred embodiment of my overall garment includes a trouser portion 1 to which is dc tachably secured a bib portion 2. Both of these portions may be formed from any conventional fabric or material keeping in mind the fact that, almost without exception, childrens garments must be washable. At any rate, the top of the trouser portion 1 shouldhave an integral waist band as shown at 3. This waist band 3 carries an-elastic section 4 extending about the back of the garment and nonelastic section 5 extending about the front of the garmnt. The elastic sec tion 4 assures a proper retention of the trousers while they are worn yet accommodates their easy removal when the childs diaper is to be changed.

The bib portion 2 carries a pair of elongated shoulder straps 6 and 1 secured to the opposite side margins thereof to define a halter. At the terminal end of each shoulder strap, I secure one-half of a separable snap connection 8 (see Fig. 2) which is adapted to mate with a complementary half snap connection 9 secured to the inner face of the bib portion 2. Thus, each shoulder strap detachably engages that corner of the bib portion 2 which is spaced diagonally therefrom.

The fastening means, by which I make the trouser and halter portions of my overall garment separable, includes mated halves of a snap connection l0 and II secured to the lower margin of the bib 2 and to the inner face of the front waist band sections 5, respectively. In the drawing and by way of example, I have shown three of these snap connections, one on each corner of the bib portion 2 and one adjacent the middle thereof. The number 3, however, is not intended to limit the scope of my inventive concept since other numbers of snap connections or other types of securing devices may be employed.

Since the trouser and halter portions, when taken together, define an overall type garment, my invention is adapted for use by children of widely varying ages. For example, when a child in the creeping stage of development is clothed with the garment and the mother wishes to change childs diaper, easy access is provided by laying the child down on a bed so the front of the garment is exposed to view. Thereafter, the mother need only detach the trouser portion I from the bib portion 2 by detaching the snap connections I!) and II. These are within easy visual range even though the child is lying down. The trouser portion will then separate from the halter, which latter remains in place about the childs shoulders and the elastic section 4 allows the trousers to be pulled down over the childs hips. After the diaper is changed, the trouser portion I is again pulled up about the childs legs and hips and the snap connections l0 and l I are secured.

On the other hand, with the somewhat older child, as for example, a toddler which is being taught to disrobe itself, the simple frontal location of the snap connections 10 and II and the similar location of the snap connections 8 and 9 allow the child to remove the entire garment without reaching. That is to say, each of these snap connections is located at the front of the garment within easy visual range of the child. Still further, if the child is being trained to go to the toilet by itself, the frontal location of the snaps l0 and II simplifies the removal of the trouser portion I. Also, since the halter need not be removed at such a time, the shoulder straps 6 and I will neither dangle, nor will they inadvertently drop into the toilet bowl. These are important factors in reducing materially the effort required by parents While training or changing a child.

In accord with the objects of my invention, it will be seen that I have provided a childs overall garment which is separable into trouser and halter portions detachably joined along the front thereof so that a young child may remove the trouser portion without being required to reach back to unfasten snaps or other fastening devices which conventionally are located out of the childs visual range. Furthermore, I have provided shoulder straps for the halter portion of a two-piece overall garment which strapsare securely held in position by snap fasteners and which need not be loosened or unsnapped when the child goes to the toilet. Thereby, I greatly ease the child training program.

I claim:

1. A childs garment, comprising a trouser having a waist band encircling the top thereof and having a front and a back portion, said waist band having an inner face and an outer face and carrying an elastic section extending about the back portion of the garment only, said waist band constituting the only waist encircling portion of the garment, a bib substantially coextensive in width with the front portion only of said trouser, a pair of elongated shoulder straps secured at one end to opposed side margins of said bib and at the other end to the opposite sides of the top margins thereof, and separable fastening means for detachably securing said bib to said waist band to define an overall, said fastening means including a plurality of snap connections having the complementary halves thereof secured to the lower margin of said bib and to the inner front face of said waist band, respectively, to facilitate detachment of said trouser, the elastic section in said waist band and said fastening means constituting the sole securing elements for retaining the trouser upon a childs body.

2. A two-piece childs overall garment, comprising a trouser portion having an integral waist band encircling the top thereof, said waist band having an inner face and an outer face and carrying an elastic section extending about the.

back of the garment only, the elastic section of said waist band being. the only securing element adapted to encircle the body, a bib portion having an inner face and an outer face and carrying a pair of elongated shoulder straps secured to opposed side margins thereof to define a halter,

the terminal end of each shoulder strap carrying" one-half of a separable snap connection and the 4 5 upper corners of said bib portion carrying the snap connection halves mated thereto whereby each corner is adapted detachably to engage the end of that strap spaced diagonally therefrom, and fastening means for detachably securing said bib portion to said waist band to define an overall, said fastening means including a plurality of separable snap connections having the complementary halves thereof secured to the outer face of the lower margin of said bib portion and to the inner front face of said waist band, respectively, to facilitate detachment of said trouser portion, said separable snap connections being the only separable securing means for retaining the trouser tion whereby the frontal location thereof acportion to the bib por- 5 commodates removal of the trouser portion by a young child.

MAEBYN L. MILES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,423,002 Bray June 24, 1947 2,521,020 Prescott Sept. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,523 Great Britain June '7, 1899 35,923 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1906 

